‘Easy decision’ - Manchester United signing reveals how summer move materialised

Jonny Evans has revealed he discovered before the end of last season that Manchester United wanted him to remain with the club for the 2024/25 campaign.

The Northern Irish centre-back’s contract expired at the end of June with the club continuing talks about a new deal over the summer. That concluded with Evans penning a new one-year deal last week to extend his second stint at Old Trafford.

Like this summer, the defender returned to United last year in peculiar circumstances. After Evans’ contract at Leicester City expired, he initially came back to build fitness levels ahead of the new season. That quickly turned into Evans playing a role over pre-season, before eventually signing a new contract with United on transfer deadline day, eight years after first leaving his boyhood club.

Despite starting the season as fifth-choice centre-back, Evans went on to play 30 games, including the FA Cup final. Ahead of a ninth full season as a United player, the 36-year-old said he wants to play an even bigger role this time around.

“I’m over the moon really,” Evans told the club’s website. “It’s déjà vu. I spoke to you last year. The experience of last year was great for me, on a personal level, to be able to play so many games and play a big part and, hopefully, I can do that again this year.

“I tried to look at it as a one-season thing, and obviously the club came to me before the end of the season and said they’d like me to stay on. So it was a pretty easy decision, really. To get that over the line, for me, I’m grateful to the club, obviously.”

Evans and his United team-mates will hope that under the new Ineos regime the upcoming season will be significantly improved on last term, one in which United ended in eighth, their lowest-ever finish in the Premier League.

“I think, as a team, we want to achieve more and do better than we did,” Evans said on the new campaign. “So each individual has to step up their game and to improve on that. I think that is what, from a personal point of view, is my sort of mindset. This is the aim to try to push on, trying to improve and, if I didn’t have that improvement, I don’t think I’d have the motivation.

“I think that’s always a good thing to have and as a team to keep challenging for trophies and winning trophies. Our league position has to be better. More consistency in games, I think. If we can do that, we’ll have a great season.”

Evans is one of two summer arrivals confirmed, along with Joshua Zirzkee from Bologna. Jadon Sancho has also forced his way back into Erik ten Hag’s plans, nearly a year on from his infamous social media post.

Meanwhile, Willy Kambwala’s exit was confirmed on Monday, following the departures of Donny van de Beek and Alvaro Fernandez. Raphael Varane, Brandon Williams, Omari Forson and Anthony Martial also left at the end of last season.